They knew this guy was no ordinary trainer… his previous battle with him was like fishing with hand grenades.
And for those trainers who had never battled Fang Yuan before, they were now extremely curious about this trainer, who was different from the champions and previously not well-known.
Once the championship tournament started, they'd finally get to witness Fang Yuan's full strength for themselves.
Johto Region.
Goldenrod City, Goldenrod Gym.
"Are you okay, Pikachu!!?"
On the battlefield inside the gym, a Miltank's Rollout move sent Pikachu flying, and Xiaozhi quickly ran over to check on it.
"How is that possible…"
"That Miltank is so strong, it defeated Xiaozhi's three Pokémon in a row…"
Cyndaquil… Totodile… Pikachu… all three had been defeated by the same opponent.
In the stands, Brock and Misty watched the Miltank and its pink-haired trainer with serious expressions, realizing that Xiaozhi might be facing another significant hurdle.
"You and your Pokémon are already quite strong, but you're still not ready to defeat the Goldenrod Gym," the gym's Leader, Whitney, said as she retrieved her Poké Ball and recalled her Miltank, addressing the challenger in front of her.
"I'll come back to challenge you again!" Xiaozhi declared, holding Pikachu, unwilling to give up.
"Well then, make it quick, because I might be heading out for a few days soon," Whitney said with a slight smile. "The World Championship eliminations that I've been looking forward to are starting soon, and I've got to be there to see them in person. The gym might be closed until the tournament is over and battles can resume."
She obviously didn't have time to wait for Xiaozhi.
"World Championship?"
At Whitney's words, Brock, Misty, and Xiaozhi were slightly taken aback, feeling they had heard of the tournament somewhere before.
A moment later, Xiaozhi gasped, "That's the tournament Brother Fang Yuan is participating in!"
"That's right, Fang Yuan is participating in that tournament," Brock confirmed.
Back then, they witnessed Fang Yuan's public battle with Lt. Surge in the Orange Archipelago.
However, after Xiaozhi headed to the City Region to compete in the Silver Conference, the three didn't follow the tournament closely anymore.
The tournament was still a far-off dream for the Xiaozhi of today.
"Did you just say, Fang Yuan?"
Whitney, who had been about to leave, stopped at the sound of the name Fang Yuan. Her expression showed surprise as she turned to look at Xiaozhi and the others.
"Do you know him?"
"Of course! We were there when Brother Fang Yuan decided to sign up for this tournament!" Xiaozhi stated.
"Miss Whitney, you know Brother Fang Yuan too?"
After a brief pause, Whitney shook her head, "I don't know him personally, but I've heard of him. To be exact, any trainer who has participated in the championship knows his name."
"What?"
Xiaozhi, Misty, and Brock exchanged looks of disbelief.
Especially Xiaozhi who, in confusion, said, "Brother Fang Yuan… is he that powerful now?"
"You know him, don't you?? And you don't know??" Whitney looked at them, puzzled. She placed a hand on her hip and gazed at the sky, "The Pokémon World Championship determines the world's strongest trainers, with tens of thousands of trainers from around the world signing up to compete."
"I don't mean to brag, but I'm quite powerful, yet even so, I only managed to rank within the top few hundred," Whitney explained, her tone shifting from the leniency she had shown in her gym battle with Xiaozhi to one of full seriousness as she turned toward him and his friends.
"That means there are hundreds of trainers ahead of me who could easily defeat me."
"And this Brother Fang Yuan you're talking about is currently a Master Class competitor—who only those ranked in the top eight trainers in the world can reach—the strongest trainers at the pinnacle of Pokémon battling. Let me tell you about a few of the other competitors, so you get the idea."
"Mr. Lance from the Quartz Alliance, Champion Dahu from the Fangyuan Alliance, Miss Hirona from the Sinnoh League, Miss Kaluna from the Kalos League, and Mr. Leon from the Galar League — these champions, standing at the pinnacle in their respective regions and part of the Four Heavenly Kings, are among the other master-class candidates. And Mr. Fang Yuan is just as strong, ranked among the world's most powerful trainers."
"Ah~ talking about it makes me look forward to the battles at the Palace Arena even more. The clash between these champions is going to be so thrilling!!" Whitney said with excitement.
At this point, Xiaozhi, Brock, and Misty were utterly astounded.
They knew Fang Yuan was powerful.
But to reach the terrifying rank of the world's top eight in such a short time??
And he's on par with the champions from different regions??
"Miss Whitney, when does that tournament start? Will Mr. Leon, Miss Hirona, Brother Fang Yuan, and the others all be battling each other then??" Xiaozhi hurriedly asked.
"In a week, at the Palace Arena in the Galar Region. The trainers you mentioned will be there for the knockout rounds," Whitney responded. "So, if you want to challenge the gym again, make sure to plan your time well as I'll be going to watch the matches."
After all, this was the pinnacle of the Pokémon world's competitions.
Xiaozhi clenched his fists.
"Brock, Misty, let's go to the Galar Region to see the matches!!"
After hearing this, filled with anticipation and excitement, Xiaozhi turned back to Whitney, "Miss Whitney, we'll have our rematch at the gym after the tournament is over!!"